London – Max Clifford, Britain’s top public relations guru, was found guilty Monday of a string of sexual assaults in the first conviction stemming from a police investigation launched after the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Jurors at a London court found the 71-year-old Clifford guilty of eight counts of indecent assault relating to four women as young as 15.

The silver-haired celebrity publicist was found not guilty of two other counts, while the jury was unable to reach a verdict on another count.

He was granted bail ahead of sentencing on Friday.

“You must realise that the fact I have given you bail is no indication of what the final sentence will be,” judge Anthony Leonard told him.

Clifford is the first high-profile figure to be convicted under Operation Yewtree, the police probe set up to investigate allegations of sex offences following the Savile scandal.

The prosecution told the trial that Clifford’s victims came forward following revelations in 2012 that the late BBC presenter Savile – a household name in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s – had been a serial sex offender.

The offences date from before Clifford achieved widespread fame in Britain with his links to several well-known celebrity news stories.

Prosecutors alleged Clifford used his showbusiness connections to “bully and manipulate” young women into sex acts.

Clifford had told the court the claims were “a load of lies”, with his victims being “fantasists and opportunists”.

Following a six-week trial, jurors had been in their eighth day of deliberations when they returned to the courtroom to deliver their verdicts. – AFP

Durban -The biggest fear “born-frees” have about South Africa is whether they will find a job.

They are also concerned about corruption, poor education and ensuring strong political leadership.

These were some of the issues to emerge in interviews with five young people, born in 1994 and who will vote for the first time next month, to mark 20 years of democracy this week.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – A substantial amount of money was stolen from the SBV Cash Centre on Monday in Witbank, Mpumalanga by an unknown number of armed robbers, the company said.

“SBV Services can confirm that a cash centre robbery took place at the SBV Cash Centre Witbank on Monday morning 28 April… [and] is offering a R1 000 000 reward for information that leads to the successful arrests and conviction of the perpetrators,” the company said in a statement.

Any members of the public who had any information regarding the incident were encouraged to call the company’s hotline on 083 408 7029.

SAPA

Johannesburg – Wanton and senseless criminal activity including arson, in the North West would not be tolerated and the police should act swiftly to arrest criminals, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Monday.

“These are criminal and anarchistic acts that can not be tolerated in a democracy. I have instructed SAPS to act swiftly and decisively against the criminals who involved themselves in these crimes,” he said.

“The overwhelming majority of South Africans are peace loving and we cannot allow them to suffer because of the criminal acts of a few perpetrators. Police have already made significant arrests and expect to soon make more.”

Mthethwa said police arrested 70 people in Bloemhof after a number of houses, including those of eight police officers, were torched.

In Rooigrond near Mafikeng, 12 people were arrested after the house of a councillor was burnt.

One person was arrested in connection with the torching of the African National Congress office in the Freedom Park informal settlement near Rustenburg.

Police were still looking for one person.

On Sunday night, a councillor’s house was burnt in Freedom Park.

Mthethwa said the police have profiled people and expect to make arrests in the near future.

The police would oppose bail of these arrested so they will lose their right to vote in the elections as free South Africans, he said.

Acting ministerial spokesperson David Barrit said the violence is linked to service delivery but could aim to disrupt the national elections on 7 May, if it continued.

North West premier Thandi Modise also condemned the violence in the province and said platinum belt workers who are on strike should not disrupt electioneering.

“Workers who are involved in the protracted strike should not be misled into taking out their frustration on political parties that wish to campaign in the area as they are not part to the labour dispute involving Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and mining houses,” Modise said in a statement.

Minister of Sports and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula’s door-to-door campaign in Freedom Park on Sunday was disrupted when Amcu members turned violent.

According to weekend reports, Mbalula was taken away in a bullet-proof vehicle when members of Amcu threw stones at cars.

Modise appealed to political parties to “desist from making irresponsible and populist statements” to make the platinum belt a no-go area for other parties.

“With a new proposal on the table, It is now up to the parties to find one another for an urgent settlement to end the four months old strike which has had a devastating impact on them, our economy and in particular the livelihood of miners and their families,” she said.

Members of Amcu at Lonmin, Impala Platinum and Ango American Platinum have been on strike for the past three months, demanding a monthly salary of R12 500 for entry level workers. On Thursday Amcu rejected the latest offer from the platinum producers.

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Johannesburg – Labour unions should use the proper platforms if they want to lodge a complaint against the SA Police Service, North West police said on Monday.

“Laying complaints and charges through media is not how the police work,” said Brigadier Thulane Ngubane.

“It’s difficult to respond to any of these kind of allegations done through the media… People at leadership-level know what procedures or protocols to follow when they have grievances.”

Ngubane was responding to a press statement from the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the province on the attitude of the police.

In the statement, provincial secretary Solly Phetoe said Cosatu was worried about the attitude of officers in particular at marches and rallies.

“The attitude of some individual police officers continues to represent the apartheid attitude and that of capitalists who continue to destroy our 20-year democracy and destroying our trade union movement, in particular those affiliated to Cosatu,” Phetoe said.

“The situation in the mining area is not improving or being brought under control, due to some individual police officers celebrating the continuation of the attacks of our members.”

Phetoe said that on 24 April, Cosatu and the National Union of Mineworkers (Num) led a march against certain individual policemen at the Phokeng police station and their conduct and attitude towards workers and their leaders.

Cosatu had submitted memorandums and complaints with evidence but nothing had been done.

“We are being treated very badly by the SAPS, both at the level of the province and the local police stations,” Phetoe said.

However, Ngubane said the work of the police was to enforce the law and the constitution.

He said if Cosatu had proof it should insist on seeing the provincial police commissioner to resolve the issue because it would not be resolved in the media.

“We are ready and more than willing to sort the issues out. The question of peace in the platinum belt can and shall never be resolved through policing. It needs employers, employees and labour to work together,” said Ngubane.

The Farlam Commission of Inquiry is currently investigating the circumstances of the fatal shootings of 34 people, mostly protesting miners during a strike at Marikana, near Rustenburg in 2012.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in strike-related violence.

SAPA